


got this feeling on a summer day

by shyasamouse



Category: Marvel (Comics), Young Avengers
Genre: Aromantic Character, Asexual Character, Canon Compliant, Drabbles, Friendship, Gen, Monopoly (Board Game), Multi, Queer Themes, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, Trans Character, multiple trans hcs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 08:43:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5490944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shyasamouse/pseuds/shyasamouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Billy got the text at 1:34 AM.</p>
<p>	Kate: Joe's Diner in 20?</p>
<p>Blinking blearily at the screen of his phone, he waited for his brain to catch up to his eyes. Once he'd properly read the text, he flapped a hand vaguely in the direction of Teddy's face, managing to catch him in the nose once or twice. Teddy snorted awake, rubbing his nose accusingly and grumbling at him. In explanation, Billy shoved his phone in Teddy's face, giving him a minute to comprehend the gesture before tossing the phone back on the dresser and stumbling up out of bed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	got this feeling on a summer day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [flightofthedragons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightofthedragons/gifts).



> For Ari, who keeps giving me things, so I decided to show my gratitude through queer young avengers hcs 
> 
> Ok so this is really a collection of drabbles more than any kind of actual fic with a plot but whatever. They are all in approximately chronological order, starting pre canon and continuing post vol 2 but before the new avengers stuff (including mentions of stuff from the new ant-man comic tho). Most of these are MOGAI hcs (this is the queerest thing I have ever written and I am so proud. Also I'm going to put a list of all the hcs in the end notes because not all of these are explicit hcs) but a few are more generally related to comic events/plots. I only really followed events from the three major YA vols but also mentioned ya presents, hawkeye and that one ant-man issue. All non-platonic relationships are extremely background, and are only mentioned, implied or discussed in small sections. The focus of this fic was team interactions and dynamics, not romantic relationships. 
> 
> Uh, lastly, some of this fic is written weirdly, I have to admit. Especially when writing Tommy or when someone felt anxious, it got a little run-on-sentencey, whoops. Italics are used for general emphasis, except when coupled with ( ) which means that those words are thoughts from the current pov character interrupting the flow of the narrative. (which only happens when I try to write from Tommy's pov apparently) Anyway that's it, I'm done, please enjoy.

Teddy stretched his arms above his head lazily as he walked down the corridor to the Avenger's mansion locker rooms. The nice thing about hiding out in the mansion was that they already had a lot of the supplies they needed for training. The locker room was nice, at least for storing their stuff. Considering that they were all guys, and none of them wanted to use the woman's locker room, it wasn't exactly private, but it wasn't _super_ close quarters either. Besides, only him and Eli really ever used it. Teddy had never seen Nate out of the suit and Billy lived close enough to the mansion that he just tended to go change at home. It wasn't like they had costumes or anything yet that would be suspicious or weird to wear anyway, they just usually wore work out clothes to train.

 

It was definitely interesting, this whole team thing. Teddy, well, he'd never thought that he'd do anything like this with his powers. He'd hadn't really thought of himself as the superhero type. But then Iron Lad had approached him, literally seconds after he'd sent off Greg with a warning more forceful than he was sure he could follow up on. Part of him wanted to think of the event like a second chance of sorts. A do-over for all the stupid shit he'd done with Greg.

 

Honestly, when he'd woken up the next day, he'd been so sure that he had dreamt it all up. Who would have asked _him_ to be on a superhero team? That had only been reinforced when Teddy had had to go to school and face the whole of Greg's anger. But then Iron Lad had contacted him again. And again. He'd set up a meeting time, told him that he was finding the others, and Teddy had realized that this whole thing was _actually happening_. _He was going to be on a superhero team._

 

He'd been giddy for weeks. He hadn't known what to expect. A group of suave young adults who had all had their powers for years and knew exactly what they were doing? A group of confused kids with uncontrolled abilities? When they'd finally all met up and Teddy had gotten a good look at the people on his team, he'd been so relieved.

 

None of them knew what they were doing, that much was obvious. They weren't trained, or confident, or people who'd had powers for years and years but they weren't entirely inexperienced. They were teenagers, not kids and definitely not adults. Even Nate, for all that he seemed intimidating and experienced at first, was really the same age as the rest of them, and although he seemed reluctant to tell them exactly why he needed their help, Teddy could tell he was scared of something.

 

As for the other two, Eli was confident but he seemed to be drawing on knowledge that the rest of them couldn't reciprocate. And sometimes it seemed like everything he did was underlined with just the slightest hint of anger. That wasn't necessarily bad, but it definitely didn't help the constant bickering between him and Nate.

 

Billy was different. Sometimes he was quiet and awkward, watching Nate and Eli argue quietly. Other times he was all sarcasm and biting comments whispered just loud enough to be heard. Teddy spent his time torn between wanting to laugh at Billy's jokes and wanting to kiss him senseless. Which wasn't exactly great for getting along with him, come to think of it, because Teddy kept getting distracted by his growing crush on Billy and spacing out in the middle of conversations.

 

Teddy didn't know what the others thought of him. It bothered him more than he tried to let on. He didn't know who to be for these people. He wanted to be their friend, but he wasn't sure how to do that. With Greg it had all been so easy, because even if he'd spent most the time uncomfortable in his own skin, it had been simple. This was so much more complicated, but he wanted it so much more.

 

Maybe if they spent more time together outside of training, it would be better. But very time he asked about going out together, Nate would worry that it would distract from training, Eli would either agreed with Nate or would be busy, and Billy got this look that seemed to say that he was vaguely uncomfortable with socialization and half the time he had to leave early anyway, usually saying something about babysitting his brothers. Teddy wondered what it would take to get them to do some team bonding type stuff.

 

He tried to brainstorm some cool places to go that might actually get everyone interested. No one could turn down laser-tag right? Absent-mindedly, he pushed through into the guy's locker room, still mentally compiling a list of hangout opportunities.

 

Eli was there, his back turned from the door. Teddy blinked, because Eli always seemed to be the first one ready to train, and Teddy wasn't expecting him to be there so late. Usually Eli would already be done getting ready and warming up in the next room. Then Eli noticed the door and spun around, looking apprehensive.

 

For a split second, Teddy wondered why, before his eyes slid down Eli's shoulders and he noticed the edge of Eli's binder, and the way that Eli curved into himself slightly as the door closed behind him. They both stood frozen for a long moment before Eli straightened up, and got that look in his eye, like a lion about to go in for the kill, that he always got when he was getting ready to argue and Teddy wanted to flinch back because he didn't want to put that look on Eli's face, he didn't want to make anyone upset with him.

 

Eli pulled his face into a hard frown and stared him down, back tightening into a straight line. “You gonna have a problem with me being trans, Altman?” he demanded loudly, defensively and Teddy jerked his head away when he realized that he was still staring.

 

“No!” Teddy cried, brain on automatic, “I wouldn't-”

 

Eli didn't move, tensing even more if it was all possible, and Teddy did wince this time because that hadn't been what he meant to say, he _knew_ that wasn't what he should have said and he scrambled to find the right words.

 

“I mean,” Teddy tried again, brain whirling and panic stirring. “I get it.”

 

“ _You_ get it?” Eli said harshly, even louder, and he still looked knife-sharp, ready to cut Teddy down.

 

Teddy sucked in a deep breath and started again. “I'm a shapeshifter,” he said pleadingly, hoping Eli would understand because he didn't know to get the right words out, they slid off his tongue and back down his throat as soon as he tried. “I didn't – I made the choice to look like this. I... I get it.”

 

Eli blinked slowly, looked Teddy up and down and nodded, the gesture softer than expected.

 

There was a long pause and Teddy hated the way it felt like his skin was going to crawl off his bones. The tense moment might have passed, but Teddy was just noticing the effects and he took another deep breath, hoping to feel himself settle. He hadn't come close to telling anyone about _that_ in years. None any of his school friends knew, _including_ Greg. The last time he'd talked about it had been when his mom took him out of the Episcopal school and they decided to have him to go the public school instead, when he had spilled everything to his mom and she had just held him close and told him she would always love him and smiled when he came down for breakfast one day completely different and called him her handsome boy every morning.

 

Eli turned back, to finish slipping on his training clothes, and Teddy walked to his locker with shaky legs. “Hey,” Eli said suddenly, and Teddy twitched, twisting around to look at Eli only to see that the other boy's back was still turned. “Sorry for yelling.”

 

Teddy blinked and Eli glanced over his shoulder to give him one of his quick, barely there smiles. Teddy smiled back, hesitantly, and felt the last vestiges of shakiness slip away.

 

\- - -

 

Cassie growled, running the brush through her hair yet again. How did people manage to do this? Trying to braid her hair was like trying to tie a knot with silk. The videos made it look so easy, but every time she tried, she only made it through a few plaits before the whole thing feel apart. Cassie pulled her knees up onto her bed, and sighed.

 

She'd ask her mom, but she'd had short hair for so long and besides, it felt kinda weird to ask now. Not that she'd really had much of a chance to ask when she was younger. Her hair had been too short then. But now that it was finally longer, Cassie wished she knew more about how to style it. She saw so many other girls with cute hairstyles, but every time she attempted one of them, it always ended up a mess that she had to spend _forever_ untangling. Ugh, the curse of thick hair, endless knots and tangles.

 

Cassie unfolded herself and stood up, reconciling herself to another day of boring old ponytails. Pulling out some clothes, she got ready for the day, making sure to slip her costume into the bottom of her bag. Eli had decided that today was a training day, and that meant bringing her costume along to school but Cassie didn't want anyone to see it, especially her mom. Her mom definitely did not need to find out about the team, Cassie wanted to avoid _that_ particular storm for as long as possible.

 

She tugged at the base of her shirt, trying to get the fabric to settle right. She wondered vaguely when Kate would take her shopping again. Kate seemed determined to buy her all sorts of things she didn't really need. It was kinda overwhelming honestly. Not that Cassie wasn't happy for the new clothes and accessories, especially to get things that actually fit the way she wanted them to, but it felt, well, it felt extravagant. But Kate insisted, and so she went. And always somehow came home with more stuff she than remembered picking out in the store. Cassie blamed Kate for that.

 

The team didn't have much planned for after practice, but it was always nice just to hang out. Cassie felt like she wasn't really participating in the conversation but she felt tired and quiet, and it was nice enough just to listen to the rest of the team talk. She couldn't help but grin a little when Billy almost fell over from laughing from something Teddy whispered to him, but she wasn't surprised when Kate abandoned her seat next to Eli to drop down next to her.

 

“Everything alright, Cassie?” Kate said gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling them together until Cassie felt herself relax into Kate's side. Kate tiled her head so that their heads rested together, and Cassie smiled into the embrace, feeling comfortable.

 

“Yeah, sorry Kate, I'm just a little tired.”

 

Kate hummed in response. Cassie felt her twitch then huff slightly, breath blowing across her head. “Your hair is getting in my mouth,” Kate said, sounding amused.

 

Cassie pulled away slightly and ran a hand over her hair self-consciously. “I could put it up?” she offered, realizing that her hair was dry enough after her short shower earlier to actually put it up and out of the way in a ponytail.

 

Kate shrugged, “You don't have to.” She tugged on a piece of hair hanging between them. “You always have it in a ponytail anyways. It's nice to see it down.”

 

Cassie sighed, remembering that morning's frustration. “I was gonna braid it today, but I couldn't figure out how to do it properly.”

 

Kate sat up, pulling away fully. Cassie frowned, but Kate just pushed her shoulders gently until she turned around. “Stay,” Kate said, once she apparently had Cassie in the position she wanted. “I'll braid your hair – it's easier to do it on someone else than on yourself – and then you can practice on mine.”

 

Cassie blinked as she felt Kate start to run her fingers through her hair, then ducked her head to hide her wide smile. “Thanks, Kate. I didn't want to ask my mom.”

 

“No problem, Cassie,” her friend said. “You know I'm always here to help.”

 

The next hour passed in a blur of warmth and laughter echoing throughout the room, and through it all, the feeling of Kate's soft hair passing through her fingers.

 

\- - -

 

Tommy could never remember much from the day or so after the Young Avengers ( _young avengers? Seriously what the fuck was that about?)_ let him out. Tommy only remembered the whole thing as one big blur of _freedom,_ and _air,air,fresh air_ , and _running_ and sometimes, later he wondered what exactly happened. He remembered being angry, he recalled the look on that doctor's face, the fear, but the details blurred and ran together ( _ran together, ha_ ) and he wondered what that meant about his own mental state, one more thing that made him even more fucked up probably.

 

A few memories stuck out. Billy's face, shocked eyes wide, and Tommy watching the way his mouth opened involuntarily, the way his dark hair fell in his eyes and thinking _if I wasn't a mutant, if my hair and eyes weren't lighter,changed, we'd be the same._ The idea made – makes his gut roll with undefinable emotion and his chest clench. Patriot – Eli, now– staring him down with that challenging, angry expression that became so familiar to him later, asking him what path he would choose, Tommy wondering if he really got that option anymore. Billy throwing himself after the blond guy that Tommy later met as Teddy, a cry spilling over his lips. Kate lining up a perfect shot to take out a Skrull, how he paused to watch the lines of her body for a fraction of a second before speeding away. That blond girl – Cassie – catching Spiderman in one giant hand then shrinking down after, so small that Tommy wondered how no one stepped on her, and felt an urge to sweep her up and out of the way before someone did. Wolverine's gruff voice, and the flash of his claws through green flesh that didn't act like flesh should. The solemn expression on _Captain Fucking America's_ face as he made some kind of _fucking lecture_ to the _aliens_.

 

He knew that afterward, after the aliens ships were gone and he felt a sense of loss _almost,_ fear _maybe_ , he took Kate's hand. Let her pull him onto Billy's magical platform thing. Followed the team to the hospital. Listened to Kate rip Captain America a new one, outside the hospital because the two of them were worried about disturbing the patients.

 

He knew that Kate pulled him over afterwards, and offered him a place on the team. Tommy was never sure what he said in reply, couldn't remember the look on her face or the thoughts running through his head, only exhaustion and pure, utter _terrorexhilarationworry_.

 

Tommy didn't exactly leave after that, he was sure of that at least. Didn't stay with the team, but didn't go to his mother's house either. He didn't really have anywhere to go home to. So he made a decision.

 

Tommy figured he could take this whole 'superhero' thing for a trial run. What did he have to lose?

 

\- - -

 

For Teddy, the days surrounding his mother's death weren't so much a blur as they were just blank. Devoid, of well, a lot of things. Billy was a reassurance, that he remembered well, a constant pressure against his side, a stabilizing point. One he will be forever grateful for.

 

But after the fighting was over, Teddy didn't really recall much. Captain America and Ms. Marvel questioning him gently about what had happened, twin looks of reassurance, matched with pity that seemed to slip out every time he found himself stumbling over an answer.

 

He was pretty sure Ms. Marvel gave him a hug later. Then they left him alone, in a empty room, in a section of the mansion he hadn't spent much time in while they'd been camping out here, in a mansion that still seemed too grand to be real. He decided later that they probably told him why they left him there, but whatever they had said had slipped his mind as soon as they said it.

 

Cassie came in and sat with him, and he had realized all too suddenly that not that long ago, it had been her in his situation, and she hadn't even known what had happened to her dad. Teddy glanced over at her and she smiled sadly back and they sat in silence until he felt like he could use his limbs again.

 

As soon as he could, he collected their stuff from their apartment. Teddy packed up his mom's stuff as careful as he could manage without really looking at any of it, and accepted the Avengers' offer to store it. He stayed in the warehouse for a few days, not wanting to spend more time in the monster of a mansion. Tommy was there too, practically a ghost, always going in and out and wavering between eerily quiet and loudly in Teddy's space.

 

He wasn't entirely surprised when the Kaplans invited him to stay with them, and he let himself agree when Billy took his hand and leveled him with a quietening look.

 

\- - -

 

Cassie sat across from Jonas, running her finger along the edge of her glass of water, sweeping her mind for conversation topics. Almost anything she could think of sounded too angry or awkward and she dug her fingers into the side of the glass unconsciously, wondering why she ever agreed to spend more time with Jonas. Jonas wasn't Nate, not really, but yet, she did feel like she knew him. Or at least like she should give him this chance to be himself with her. Ugh, her _life_.

 

"I never said thank you," Jonas said suddenly.

 

She glanced up from her glass. "For what?"

 

"Agreeing to call me Jonas and doing so. I understand why others would continue to call me Vision, but it is nice nonetheless to have you call me by my chosen name."

 

She shrugged one shoulder, "I guess I understand the want to change your name to something that fits your idea of yourself better."

 

Jonas frowned, before his expression cleared up, "Ah, yes, Cassandra is not your given name, I had forgotten."

 

Cassie twitched and glared at him. "Do you know my given name? Because I swear if you tell anyone-"

 

Jonas held up his hands, shook his head, "No, of course not. I neither know it nor would be willing to share it. I understand that that would not be polite."

 

"Definitely would not put you in my good books."

 

Jonas looked at her for a second and then sighed. The sound seemed off to her and she realized that it was not just an exhalation of air but a whirring of the unseen gears under Jonas' 'skin' that created the noise. It was kinda adorable, and a tiny bit weird. "I'm sorry," Jonas said. "I did not mean to offend. I have spent time wandering the world, as I told you, but there are still things I do not fully comprehend."

 

"Like what exactly?"  
  
Jonas made another curious noise, and if he were a bit more of an expressive person, she thought that he would have pulled a rather hilarious frustrated face. "Like the whole human idea of gender. I do not mean to undermine your identity but the ideas and basics of gender do not make any sense to me. If one's clothing and mannerisms are not necessarily an indication of gender, and neither is one's genitals, than what is? How do you determine whether you are a man or a woman or any of the other various gender identities? If one's expression of oneself is so fluid, why does gender matter at all?" He blinked, hands partway through a gesture left incomplete and, well, she would have said he blushed if she was sure that he could actually do that. “I did not mean to rant. I have just found that there are many things in this world that I do not truly understand still and it frustrates me.”

 

Cassie blinked, feeling a bit overwhelmed. She wasn't quite sure where to start with that. "Doesn't having Nate's brainwaves – I mean, wouldn't his memories and emotions help you with understanding that?”

 

Jonas frowned and shook his head no. "My brainwaves are patterned off of his, but that does not mean that everything translated exactly. I may have his emotions and memories, but that does not mean I have the context and understanding to interpret or connect with them. One of the those things that did not connect seems to be Nate's own feelings about his gender."

 

Cassie bit her lip, worrying her teeth along the skin. Jonas looked so upset at his inability to understand and she really wanted to help when she saw him like that but... "Sorry, Jonas, I don't really know what to tell you. Realizing that I was a girl was the biggest confusion I had over gender, and it was more of a revelation than any kind of inner journey or anything."

 

Jonas sighed again and this time she listened specifically for the telltale sound of whirring. "It's alright. I did not expect you to have all the answers."

 

Cassie barely resisted the temptation to lean over and pat his hand. She frowned then and asked, "Hey, I know you said to call you Jonas but does that mean you prefer he/him pronouns? It sounds like you'd identify more with agender or something like that, based on what you just said.”

 

Jonas shrugged. "I don't feel as though it matters much. I suppose I prefer a masculine style of dress and thus he/him pronouns would be the least confusing for others to use."

 

"Yeah, I guess so, but are those the pronouns you want me to use?"

 

Jonas thought about it. "Yes," he decided, nodding slowly, yes."

 

There was a pause, as Cassie absorbed all that had just been said. "Anything else heavy you want to round out the conversation with? Global warfare? Religion?" she teased.

  
  
Jonas smiled slightly, a twitch of his lips. “I suppose that I also do not understand the human idea of sexuality, but that at least makes more sense, considering I am not exactly a typical human.”

 

Cassie grinned at little at that, “Well, hey, if you want to identify as ace, you can join the club. Literally, we have a club.”

 

\- - -

 

Billy was the one who first offered up the idea seriously, a couple weeks after the Young Avengers first started meeting after Nate left.

 

**Billy: I had an idea**

**Teddy: ?**

**Billy: why dont we like, make a queer support group**

**Billy: for young heroes**

**Billy: I mean there's enough of us that there's got to be a good amount of queer kids**

**Billy: it'd be nice to make sure that all of them have someone to turn to**

**Teddy: :)**

**Teddy: we should**

**Billy: do you have any idea to do this tho**

**Teddy: not really**

**Billy: *sigh this is going to be so much work isn't it**

 

The idea got put on hold for a bit, what with Eli quitting, but it wasn't forgotten. They talked to the team about it, got Kate on board to help them host meetings, and Cassie was of course willing to join. Later, when Eli was back, and things had settled down (as much as things ever did), he started helping them plan as well. Tommy and Jonas were the only ones not involved at first, Tommy because he never acted interested, and Jonas was because he was only around part of the time and things were still awkward between him and the rest of the team.

 

With four of them dedicated to the task, they started to spread the word about the group. At first they only got a few tentative replies, which decreased even further because the superhero civil war made getting communications through various groups nearly impossible. But afterward, Cassie had collected a group of kids from the Avengers Academy and then Karolina from the Runaways called in, and brought Xavin and Nico with her. From there, the group took off.

 

When the Young Avengers started asking around, they found out that the old Xavier school had apparently had some kind of GSA, but after M Day, the club had fallen apart. With a new place to meet up, and help from other heroes to get there, X students started showing up in waves. In a couple of months, the idea of an queer support support group for young heroes went from a vague plan to a reality. Teddy could still remember how amazed Billy had been at the response.

 

Not everything went smoothly. There were arguments, either about queer issues or superhero issues. Mutant kids especially had lots of reasons to get into disagreements and sometimes it would take weeks for people to stop bringing up old arguments at meetings.

 

Still, people continued to show up. The group lasted, even as other teens created smaller groups with specific focuses within the larger group.

 

Eli and Cassie championed a trans group that went from having only a couple members to doing cross country wardrobe swaps and helping each other research transition options. Kate remembered later that one of the times she'd seen Cassie at her happiest was when Kate helped provide the funds for a couple of trans girls to go shopping with. Cassie had hugged her until Kate had felt like her ribs might just crack from the pressure, and later Kate had found herself helping the girls paint their nails in colors complimentary to their new outfits.

 

Eli set up a bunch of informational sessions about all kinds of things like safe sex, different sexualities, trans issues and the gender binary, and discriminatory laws. He seemed to enjoy the work and when Billy joking asked if Eli was going to start spreading pamphlets as well, Eli actually looked thoughtful.

 

Billy shyly offered up a group for any asexual or aromantic spectrum members and was pleasantly surprised when others signed up to join that one too. Someone always brought cake to those meetings, and they would all share a laugh as they passed around pieces of cake and talked about how confusing the rest of the world could get sometimes. Cassie started slipping into the meetings after a few weeks and she and Billy shared awkward, companionable smiles for a short while before Cassie initiated a round of texting each other about ace problems throughout the day that had the two of them sharing secretive inside jokes that had the rest of team completely lost.

 

Jonas never quite made it into the any of the groups, always seeming a little of unsure of whether or not he would be accepted. Teddy just couldn't believe how much everything had expanded in so little of time.

 

When Cassie died, it all got thrown off. Teddy could never be sure just how many messages the team got from the other members of the group in the days afterward. More than enough to keep their phones buzzing for hours.

 

With Cassie gone, Eli retired from superheroing and Billy unwilling to do much at first, the responsibility fell to Teddy. And when he didn't feel like he could handle the weight of it all, Karolina and a couple other members stepped up to help. The schedule for meetings got hectic, they had to find new meeting places when the Young Avengers stopped using the warehouse, things got canceled and moved around, but no one gave up entirely. The group struggled on.

 

By the time Teddy and Billy had to leave because of the whole Mother incident, Karolina and her girlfriend, Julie Power, had taken to running the group pretty darn smoothly. When they came back, Billy and Teddy made plans to finally rejoin on a regular basis, to the enthusiastic welcome of the others.

 

At the New Year's Party, Billy and Teddy made sure to greet every group member they knew and danced with quite a few of them. Billy knew that he gave the information about the group to more than a few other young heroes at the party, including David. And later, he gave it to America. And Noh. And, even later, Kate.

 

\- - -

 

Afterward, after that whole... thing, adventure gone wrong, whatever you want to call something that ended with the death of one the few people Tommy had ever considered a friend and the falling apart of the _rest_ of his friends, Wanda called them. She called Billy mostly, but he didn't respond most of the time. Tommy knew that because he watched him sit there and ignore the phone ringing. So Tommy picked up the phone himself. He was never quite sure why( _that he would admit anyway_ ). He hadn't really believed in the whole soul twin thing, he _hadn't_ , but now that people had said that it's true, now that _she_ had said it's true, it felt like a waste of everything that had happened to ignore her.

 

He didn't know what to say, didn't think she did either. She kept trying and so he did too. Tommy remembered all kinds of different awkward silences, and working his way through conversations that felt like running through molasses. When he refused to talk about his family, she asked him about school. When he said he hadn't gone in over a year, she asked about the team. The conversation trailed off, again and again and again and again. But she called back, again and again and again and again.

 

Part of him wanted to call her Mom. He'd said it before, let it slip out but with her actually around, he made sure to hold his lips together, prevent it from slipping out, he didn't want to deal with what would happen if he let it slip, if he let her know about he how _wishedlongedwanted_ to call her mom, to claim this messed up as family as his own, as _something_ to have for his own for once, something broken but not worthless, he didn'twant to lose a family again, _hecouldn't._

 

She invited him out to lunch one time. It was tense and quiet and full of side glances at each other from the corners of their eyes, he nearly vibrated out of his seat with nervous energy and she couldn't stop watching him sadly and he got it, _he did_ , but he never felt comfortable under the weight of the memory in her eyes. Wanda told him about her early days on the Avengers, and Tommy wasn't as invested in that shit as Billy but it was interesting nonetheless. She smiled at his crappy jokes, and he found himself distracted over and over again, wondering how she saw him. Did he remind her of her brother or her father or herself? Is he like her son, the first time around, or did she really actually see him as his own person now, could she separate herself from the life she had known?

 

He bragged about being faster than Quicksilver, and she grinned, and tossed her head back and laughed, full and bright and he soaked it in, shivering with a sense of deja vu that felt old and unfamiliar and familiar in the strangest way and her smile was the same kind of sarcastic smirk that Billy used to throw at him, before all this.

 

Tommy dragged Wanda to a movie the next time, tired of awkward silences but not sure if he was ready to stop just yet. She sat through it with alternating bemused silence and gentle patience. If he hadn't seen her fighting, on tv and in person, seen rage filtering under skin and the literal red flash of anger and protectiveness in her eyes, he would think that she was always like this, strong and quiet, soft and kind, beautiful and gentle.

 

She teased him about something stupid after, and he scoffed, slipped up and told her to “Shut up, Mom.” She froze and he faltered, almost turned on his heel and ran but she only smiled a small little sad smile and didn't say a word about it. He let his posture relax, feeling on edge and sharp and aching and ready to leave but he walked her back to the corner where they met up before he gave in and let his feet take him far,far away.

 

Tommy got back to his room at the Kaplan's later than he'd expected to when he'd left and pressed a hand to his forehead, breathing hard. Shit, he wasn't supposed to say that. He knows – knew that. He got too attached to Billy too quickly, he didn't need to expand this fucked up family, all families do is hurt each other, didn't everyone know that. His breath was coming too fast, he noticed distantly. ( _Fuck it, he wants this,_ _wants a real family_. _But he doesn't fucking know how to do that. He's too messed up to get a second chance, that should have been obvious by now. There was no way in hell that this was going to work out.) (he wanted it to work out_ )

 

He kept having lunch with Wanda. With his mom.

 

\- - -

 

Billy got the text at 1:34 AM.

 

**Kate: Joe's Diner in 20?**

 

Blinking blearily at the screen of his phone, he waited for his brain to catch up to his eyes. Once he'd properly read the text, he flapped a hand vaguely in the direction of Teddy's face, managing to catch him in the nose once or twice. Teddy snorted awake, rubbing his nose accusingly and grumbling at him. In explanation, Billy shoved his phone in Teddy's face, giving him a minute to comprehend the gesture before tossing the phone back on the dresser and stumbling up out of bed.

 

Teddy groaned and hugged the pillow but eventually sat up too and accepted the clothes that Billy handed him. They dressed nearly blindly in the dark, knocking elbows and stubbing toes but not feeling like turning on the lights when it was so late, or really, so early. Yawning and quiet, they made their way outside, locking the door behind them.

 

Teddy offered his hand to Billy and smiled when his boyfriend took it and started mumbling under breath. Blue light swarmed up around them and Teddy blinked and found them in the street next to the diner. Teddy pushed the door open and held it for Billy. Kate waved at them from a booth in the back, food already spread across the table, their usual orders made for them. She had a days old cut on one temple and and a bandage on her arm but she was smiling and had her shoulder pressed up against America's.

 

Noh sat across the booth from them, scrolling through his phone. Billy leaned over his shoulder as they sat and saw that he was trying to decide on an artist to play while they ate. This went on for another minute before America reached over, stole his phone, and selected something. She dropped the phone down on the table and Nicki Minaj started playing, low and echoing. When the rest of them looked at her, she only shrugged and leaned back into her seat, arms crossed.

 

After a minute, the door slammed open, and they all turned to see Tommy stride in, followed by David, who caught the door and closed it gently. Tommy dropped down next to Kate, eyebrows raised. “Is this gonna be a thing now?” he demanded.

 

Teddy nodded, and pushed a plate of chocolate ship pancakes across the table wordlessly. Tommy looked disbelieving, but took the plate anyway, immediately stealing a fork and digging in. David slipped into the space left next to Tommy and easily accepted the cup of coffee passed to him. They all ate slowly, sharing and stealing bits and pieces off of each others plates.

 

The little group slipped in and out of conversations, mostly content to sit in silence. Teddy and Noh switched places so that Teddy could pull out a pencil and some paper and sketch mindlessly as he leaned against the wall. At some point, America leaned over, curious, and Teddy started explaining quietly the techniques that he was using. She borrowed his pencil once or twice and he beamed at her as she drew simple outlines of each of them. Billy pulled out a book from his bag and read quietly for a while, still half asleep and yawning. When Tommy got twitchy and started opening and closing his mouth, looking unsure whether he wanted to say whatever was on his mind or not, David pulled out his headphones and his phone and started showing him random videos, letting his shoulder press into Tommy's until the speedster stilled. Noh mouthed along silently to the songs, head tilted back on the seat, looking remarkably at ease. Kate watched all of them without a word, slumping further and further against America, blinking tiredly and smiling with just the tiniest twist of her lips.

 

One song ended and transitioned into another and another and another and time dragged inevitably on towards dawn.

 

\- - -

 

Kate raised an eyebrow, and took a sip of her coffee. “Honestly Tommy, how the fuck did that even happen?”

 

He threw his hands up in the air, saying, “I don't even know. One minute it was all cool and the next minute there's the goat and I'm being yelled at.”

 

She rolled her eyes at him, “You're ridiculous. Your life is ridiculous.”

 

“Thanks, I had _no_ idea,” he replied, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat.

 

Kate waved a hand at him dismissively. “Is that honestly all you've been doing, Tommy? Getting into trouble in random South American countries?”

 

He shrugged, “Yeah, I mean, mostly I'm just working and shit. Not very interesting.” Tommy reached forward and quickly stole of piece of her cookie, slipping his hand back across the table and popping the piece into his mouth before she could even react.

 

She rolled her eyes at him and pulled the cookie closer by the corner of its napkin. “Everything's been good with you and Wanda right? Billy doesn't really talk about going to visit very often, unless something goes wrong, like that time Pietro and Magneto had a screaming argument at dinner and someone called the cops on them.”

 

Tommy nodded. “Yeah, everything's good. Usually it's just Mom and us. She's been teaching me stuff about her childhood and all that. She cooks a lot. It's nice.”

 

Kate smiled at him and he glanced away. “I'm glad. After-” she paused, her voice catching in her throat, “You deserve it.”

 

Tommy rubbed his neck, looking discomforted. “I... yeah. Thanks.” He looked around for a second then snapped back to her face, suddenly smirking wickedly. “Speaking of relationships...”

 

Kate froze and glared at him, eyes narrowing.

 

“... how's America?”

 

The intensity of the glare increased. “That's none of your business,” she said haughtily, trying to stem the rising redness in her cheeks.

 

“Oh, so I _didn't_ see you making eyes at her and dancing really _very_ close to her last time we went out clubbing?”

 

Kate deflated a little and blew out a puff of air. “Well... it's not a relationship really.”

 

Tommy grinned, “So my eyes didn't deceive me?”

 

Kate rolled her eyes again, “Not technically. But I'm still aromantic, you know.”

 

“Yeah,” Tommy replied, looking mischievous, “but that doesn't mean you don't think America is hot as fuck. And I mean that literally-”

 

“Stop right there,” Kate said, cutting him off and pointing at him. “That _really_ isn't any of your business.”

 

“That's not a denial.”

 

“And you're not gonna get anything more than that.”

 

Tommy just kept grinning at her and Kate decided it was time enough to turn the tides. “I don't know why you're the one questioning _me,_ honestly.” Tommy looked at her suspiciously. She grinned, just as wide he had been a second ago. She leaned forward and put her chin on her hand, making sure to meet his eyes steadily. Lowering her voice to ask in a sweetly curious voice, she asked, “How's David?”

 

Tommy glared, and if it was possible, her grin widened.

 

“I'm just asking,” she continued, “because the two of you have seemed so close lately. I mean, all those lunch dates- oh, sorry, I meant meetings – and going to movies together and–”

 

“I get it, I get it,” Tommy snapped, folding his arms across his chest. “But it's not like that.”

 

She tilted her head, now truly curious, “It's not?”

 

“I mean,” he stuttered, “I don't – I don't like him like that. I liked you like that, but I'm not, we're not...” He trailed off.

 

Kate flash-backed to a few months ago, when she'd been so sure that she was straight, but had to confront all the evidence that she might not be. How uncertain she'd been of what she'd been feeling, nothing seeming to line up exactly to what other people said it was like. She remembered similar lines of confusion on her face, the tone of his voice matching up to her memories of her own. “Hey,” she said, catching his eyes once again, “you don't have to explain anything to me.”

 

Tommy relaxed slightly, losing the tension in his hunched shoulders. He tapped out an aimlessly rhythm on the tabletop, opening and closing his mouth several times. Kate waited him out. “I don't know how I feel,” he admitted quietly.

 

Kate touched his hand gently and smiled. “Neither did I.”

 

Tommy glanced up at her in the space of a heartbeat, a flutter of movement. “The only other time I think I felt like this was with you.”

 

Kate prodded, feeling like they may be onto to something. “Just me?”

 

Tommy shrugged.

 

Kate thought about her own struggle to define how exactly she was attracted to people. She had tried to remember what it had been like with Eli, the way it had been nice but always felt like something was missing, like there was piece of the puzzle she wasn't getting. With Tommy, it had been simple, because it hadn't ever been a relationship. She'd been free to flirt without the feeling of necessity to promise something deeper than that, it'd probably been why she kept letting him try. With Noh, she'd thought of it as nothing serious, but he'd apparently wanted more and the whole thing had just gotten... messy. With America, it was a whole new experience. She'd realized that she was attracted to America but there had never been that push like there had been with Eli to try and have a 'real' relationship. It was only after that that Kate had begun to look up sexualities and realize that what she'd been feeling had been a lack of something, something she could now explain and identify and understand about herself.

 

She hoped that she could help Tommy find that. Kate hadn't really ever thought about it before, but well, what Tommy was saying sounded kinda familiar.

 

“Have you ever thought that you're maybe on the aro spectrum, Tommy?”

 

He blinked and shook his head. “No... I liked you. So I'm not aro.”

 

“I said aro spectrum, Tommy, not just aro.”

 

“Spectrum? What like _sometimes_ being attracted to people?” Tommy said sharply, sounding disbelieving.

 

Kate sighed, “Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, Tommy. Like gray aro or ace, which is only being attracted sometimes, or demi, where you're only attracted after you make a connection with someone or flux or any of those others. Have you thought about it?”

 

There was a long, drawn out pause. Tommy swallowed, looking unsure, “Maybe... you could tell me more?”

 

Kate smiled and reached down into her purse to pull out her phone. “Ok, so first there's the obvious... ”

 

\- - -

 

"This is not going to work."

  
  
"Well, that's your own fault, Eli," Kate said huffily, as she attempted to position the laptop better so that he could actually see all of them through the camera. Eli rolled his eyes, the screen lagging just slightly, pausing in the middle of his motion before resuming.

 

"You guys were the ones that insisted I join in," he replied, looking fondly irritated.

 

"We could still go get you," Billy wheedled, waving a glowing blue hand hopefully.

 

Eli made a face. "I _was_ trying to study for my history test."

 

"Then why are you skyping us?" Cassie asked, grinning from her perch on the arm of the couch. "C'mon, Eli, I let them come get me. And I live farther away than you do now."

 

Eli sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You don't have a test tomorrow, Cassie. And I wasn't going to do anything but Kate told Tommy to text bomb me with random emojis until I agreed to least say hi."

 

Tommy looked proud of himself, "You have to admit it that worked."

 

"Yes, thank you _so much_."

 

Deciding to ignore Eli's complaining, Cassie kicked her feet lightly, "What are we doing today anyway?"

 

"Monopoly," Teddy intoned dramatically, pulling out the game from... somewhere. Probably from behind the couch, where it always seemed to end up after they attempted to play again and someone (usually America, or one memorable time, Noh) ended up flipping the table in frustration.

 

"This is definitely not going to work," Eli said.

 

"Shut up, Eli," Kate responded. Finished with the laptop, she snagged the box from Teddy and opened it up, prompting everyone else to get comfortable around the table. David was the only who stayed where he was, tucked into one of the armchairs next to the couch with his own laptop with him.

 

"Why isn't David playing?" Cassie asked, glancing over at him.

 

He looked up. "I'm not allowed to play anymore,” he explained easily before going back to whatever he was doing.

 

"Why?"

 

Billy leaned forward from his spot curled up next to Teddy and pointed accusingly at David. "He isn't allowed to play because he has an unfair advantage."

 

Teddy added, "Last time he played, he bankrupted all of us almost immediately."

 

"Thus he has been banned from actually playing until further notice," Kate finished from her spot lording over all the Monopoly money. She had unilaterally claimed the title of banker early on, saying that the rest of them wouldn't notice 'if a bright pink bear walked in and started dancing, never mind someone trying to sneak extra cash'.

 

"What about teaming up with someone?"

 

"Nope," Kate replied, popping the p. "When we tried that, he teamed up with Tommy and helped him crush us mercilessly."

 

Tommy smirked, “That was a fun game.”

 

“For _you_ maybe,” Billy said, making a face. “I prefer a little more equal opportunity in my games.”

 

“It's Capitalism: The Game! It's not supposed to be about equal opportunity! 'Sides you don't want David to play because if he doesn't play, you have the next highest chance of winning!”

 

Billy sniffed as if horribly offended by the accusation. “Not true.”

 

“Pretty true,” Teddy offered and he laughed when Billy smacked him in the arm.

 

“All arguments aside,” Kate interjected loudly. “Time to play!” America suddenly looked rebellious from her position next to her and Teddy wondered how long the game would last before someone (ie. America) got pissed off enough that they had to stop. Kate pointed at Noh, “You got bankrupted first last time, so you get the first move this time.”

 

“Isn't this like the fifth time he's gotten to go first?” Tommy asked.

 

“I am still learning how this game works,” Noh said in reply. “It is not like most Kree games.”

 

Kate rolled her eyes, “Give the alien a break, Tommy. It's the rules that _we_ decided on. He bankrupted first, he gets to go first. You want to go first, you give up and lose first. Stop complaining.” Tommy stuck his tongue out at her but complied.

 

Kate finished passing out fake money to everyone and there was a pause while everyone sorted their money in neat piles.

 

“Seriously, are you really expecting me to play like this?”

 

“Shut up, Eli and deal with the problems your own decision created.”

 

“You all suck.”

 

Cassie giggled, already clutching her own stash of fake money protectively. David sighed and got up, dropping down next to the computer and beginning to organize the money Kate had set down in front of it. When Kate gave him a suspicious look, David said, “I'll only do what Eli tells me to, promise.”

 

“Thanks, David.”

 

David nodded and replied, “I don't mind. This will be less weird than just hanging out while they play.”

 

Billy narrowed his eyes at them from across the table. “I am not sure that I trust this collaboration.”

 

“Too bad,” Eli and David replied at the same time.

 

Kate huffed at them all warningly, and gestured for Noh to start his turn. As he started the game, The bickering quieted down and the music Noh had put on made for good background noise during the silence. For about a minute anyway, until Tommy attempted to pull a dick move on his first turn that got Billy to start talking loudly about how they should punish anyone who cheated and another argument started up.

 

Unnoticed, Cassie smiled fondly at the chaos around her, glad all over again that she'd managed to fall in with all these crazies. Then she snuck a couple hundreds out from under Kate's elbow and made sure to put on an innocent face when the bickering began to die down, just in case.

 

**Author's Note:**

> HCs:   
> Eli and Teddy are both trans guys. Teddy used his shapeshifting abilities to transition when he switched schools (and, not mentioned, but I have hcs about his mom being a Skrull and being all confused about these human gender identities and ugh someone come talk to me about Sarah Altman plz).  
>  Eli, being Eli, is pretty open about his identity but at the time of the first drabble, had not known the team for long so had not felt comfortable coming out yet.   
> Cassie is a trans girl and has known about it for a while. Her parents were pretty supportive, but her dad was better about it. She isn't out to most people. She discovers asexuality after joining the team.  
> Jonas is asexual and quoigender (which if you don't know, is basically someone who doesn't understand the concept of gender/can't figure out if they experience gender)  
> Kate is aromantic and pansexual. She and America have worked out a queerplatonic relationship that appeals to both of them.   
> Tommy is demiromantic and demisexual, which he figures out after he talks with Kate.  
>  Billy is homoromantic and asexual.


End file.
